You feel guilty having a sick day, you feel guilty if you can’t help a student at lunchtime, you feel guilty about how you’ve taught a lesson – can you overcome it? Gavin Simpson explains how to handle ‘guilt’ as a teacher

The inimitable @carlhendrick.substack.com takes a measured look at short-form video as a learning tool, giving a fair shake to its potential advantages (ex. motivating learners about a new topics). Still, it’s primarily a cautionary signal. This section, whew. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Most leadership teams aren’t short on effort—they’re stuck in the wrong mode. R-Mode = reacting, responding, running the school I-Mode = slowing down to think and improve it Even 5–10% of protected I-Mode can change everything. Read more 👉 buff.ly/UDo80B7 #EducationalLeadership #SchoolImprovement

Mathematical misconceptions are numerous and commonplace, so how should we look to minimise them in our classrooms? The REACT planning framework can help educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/eef-blo...

Episodic memory is often dismissed, but it can be a powerful lever for deeper learning. From trips to role-play, meaningful experiences can boost semantic recall. @jonesedu.bsky.social outlines some techniques for how #teachers can use it well: buff.ly/GjHCPrM #teaching #schools #edusky

*** NEW POST *** The phrase knowledge-rich gets thrown about by its detractors and supposed supporters alike, but what does it actually mean and where does the confusion lie? open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p...

A personal piece. Go gently with one another. You never know what someone is carrying. watermanlearning.wordpress.com/2026/04/28/g...

What’s the impact of student grouping? Today we’re pleased to publish new research with @ucl.ac.uk @ioe.bsky.social comparing pupils’ attainment in maths classes grouped by attainment and mixed-attainment classes. Explore the report: tinyurl.com/3rbmrfdk

Everyone has a comparatively obscure band they can't believe aren't more well known. Mine is Amanda Platt and the Honeycutters. What's yours?

Grades are just lines drawn on a continuous distribution & can end up distorting things. In this example, Paul is graded as being at the expected standard despite being approx 2 yrs below average & having more in common with students in the lower grade. substack.nomoremarking.com/p/why-grades...

People are often surprised by this, but I really really don't like grades. I think they encourage a (flawed) skills-based way of thinking about education. More here, including alternatives. substack.nomoremarking.com/p/why-grades...

The primary school grading system in England has three grades. About 60% of students get the middle grade. So that means a student working at the Y4 standard, and one working at the Y8 standard are both told they are at the expected standard for Year 6. substack.nomoremarking.com/p/why-grades...

schoolsweek.co.uk/high-achievi... Ladders and ceilings .

Do Students Today Have Reduced Attention Spans? In this American Educator article, I argue they don't. (This piece is mostly a reprint of the one I published last year in Education Next.) www.aft.org/ae/spring202...

If you have ever taught biology, it is obvious that this explanatory model building approach is so much better than just teaching the facts, descriptions and explanations. youtu.be/Ux2-Y_6IryM?...

Super thrilled that my article "Prosody" is now available to read in the Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science! oecs.mit.edu/pub/1w4cqquc... Thanks to @asifamajid.bsky.social and @mcxfrank.bsky.social for the opportunity and for creating such an amazing resource for our community!

*NEW* Being on the receiving end of feedback has left me feeling flat, despite doing well. It made me think how we focus on the theory & rules around giving pupil feedback, but how often do we consider how it lands? #feedback #EduSky #EduBlogShare impressionthatiget.wordpress.com/2026/04/03/t...

I've just set up a couple of 'pay what you can' online events for next term. The Ultimate Guide to Adaptive Teaching is on 28th April at 4.30pm and you can book tickets here. ⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1985806308...

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We know questioning is one of the most powerful ways to activate student thinking but it’s not always easy to improve it in a busy school week. That’s why we’re running the Great Teaching Questioning Challenge. It’s free to participate and applications close on 17th April buff.ly/K9rpFG1 #EduSky

As ever standing on the shoulders of giants like @douglemov.bsky.social & @adamboxereducation.bsky.social, I share some specifics about how teachers can be as clear as possible in their expectations of their pupils. open.substack.com/pub/ldonaghy...

Why are fewer students choosing drama in schools? Because we haven’t explained the real value of the subject, says teacher Hetty Steele

Teachers can reduce impostor syndrome by: 🧠 normalising struggle 💬 changing feedback language 🎯 focusing on process over talent Learn how ➡️ https://www.innerdrive.co.uk/workshops/dealing-with-impostor-syndrome/

New from me Things Can Get Worse. Why I'm so worried about the SEND reform direction of travel. bennewmark.wordpress.com/2026/03/26/t...

Ancient wisdom or modern pedagogy? How the Buddha advocated retrieval practice, spacing and interleaving, predating cognitive science. #education #cog_sci #edusky #uked #Buddhism #Buddha mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2026/03/21/b...

#EduSky #EruditePedagogy I have not spent a lot of time thinking about this yet, but recently put together this matrix and I'm curious what others think. As you can tell from the descriptors, I think effective teaching & learning happens in Quadrant D, but... (1/2)

Students perform how we expect them to 🎭 The Pygmalion Effect shows that teacher expectations shape outcomes more than many realise. https://www.innerdrive.co.uk/blog/the-pygmalion-effect/

The first follow up in my ‘Good for all, vital for some’ series on clarity of expectations in the classroom. This one is about how to get a class silent. open.substack.com/pub/ldonaghy...

Post: ● The pros of teaching without powerpoint If teaching is transmission, the presentation is a vital tool. If, we see it as conversing to coordinate the meaning of content, then PowerPoint sits in the way of interaction between teachers and students. christianmooreanderson.com/pros-of-teac...

If inclusion means doing what we have good evidence for all children better with the most vulnerable kids this will work. If it means mainstreaming common adaptations for supposedly "different" children we have little evidence for it will be a disaster. I am very nervous about the direction.

I spend a lot of time working with schools and MATs to quality assure and improve geography. One question always sits underneath: what do we actually mean by the impact of the geography curriculum? In this post I try to make my thinking visible. open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p... #GeogChat

New studies on retrieval practice, seductive details, engagement myths, reading instruction, and the cognitive costs of modern technology. open.substack.com/pub/carlhend...

NEW blog post: on the anatomy of great #classroom_explanations and the importance of #relationship jamesdurran.blog/2026/03/03/e...

Reading comprehension is not a skill. It’s an outcome of what you know. Strategies plateau. Knowledge compounds. lnkd.in/e-P9uNE2

“High standards and inclusion are two sides of the same coin.” After reading the white paper carefully and discussing it during a SENCo forum this week, I’ve written on the shift in language, and what some of this might mean for schools in practice. moderncassie.blogspot.com/2026/03/a-sh...

"As the exam season approaches, older students will likely be receiving (or searching for) helpful revision advice. Responsive Revision offers a different approach. This is a term I have been sharing with teachers, students and parents..." Blog by Kate Jones

What happens when students become co‑researchers in schools, working with #teachers to find solutions to entrenched problems? @thatpovertyguy.bsky.social explains how embedding curiosity & collaboration can change practice & improve outcomes: buff.ly/1miD6Ex #teaching #schools

Should probably write this up properly. On what I think is the fundamental flaw in the underpinning principles in the SEND white paper and why I think it makes failure inevitable.

Put up some limited edition Public Enemy SHE GOT GAME shirts to raise money for these women athletes. shop.flavorflavofficial.com

Check. Adapt. A useful resource for teachers shared by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) "Many misunderstand, so pause and fix. Some are unsure, so adapt support. Most understand, so extend and support."

@curriculumjournal.bsky.social is now on BlueSky. Please follow

In my last Substack piece I looked at the implications of the white paper for curriuclum thinking - today, I turn my attention to what it means for the classroom. open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p...

Fantastic summary, many thanks.

DfE White Paper 26 - Literacy and Oracy overview. Key implications (that I’ve gauged from my understanding of it) Hope it’s of use!

The poor state of evidence around what's best for children who find learning harder has meant we've wasted billions already. We're going to waste billions more on things that don't work. We should have begun by looking at what practice is effective and investing in that.

Framing of the white paper is wrong and as a result what's in it isn't going to work. The framing emphasises differences rather than commonalities between children. What happens when all these billions are spent and neither experiences nor outcomes are better? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

How do we make decisions in the classroom? A thought process to break down the complexitiies of teaching: open.substack.com/pub/claireha...

Consider two students with similar abilities. The one with a stronger drive often achieves higher grades 🏆 This article explains why: https://www.innerdrive.co.uk/blog/ambition-student-grades/

Knowledge isn't the same as understanding. We can know something yet still not understand it. This is perhaps at the heart of the well established epistemological system, currently under threat. dynamiclearning.substack.com/p/disentangl...

Ditching Differentiation? "It’s fair to say that the term ‘differentiation’ has had its day in education (or at least in England). At one point, it was considered to be an integral element of lesson planning, design and delivery to ensure all learners were involved..." By Kate Jones